2U, Syracuse University Partner on Public Administration Degree

Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs has announced a partnership with 2U, Inc. to launch a new online Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA) degree.

Created in 1964, the Maxwell School’s Executive Education program makes use of the faculty and curriculum currently in use at the school’s top-ranked graduate program in public administration and public affairs. Maxwell has consistently received a top ranking on the U.S. News and World Report public affairs list each year since the survey first came out in 1995. Over 10,000 professionals have completed the executive master’s and mid-career training programs at the school.

The online program, titled ExecutiveMPA@Syracuse, will include live classes taught by Maxwell professors and will include real-world learning opportunities. In addition, a 30-credit curriculum will seek to prepare managers to lead organizations in both the public and nonprofit sectors. The degree is meant to offer assistance to mid-career professionals in the identification and completion of gaps in both skills and knowledge to prepare students for future challenges relating to management and policy. The program could also aid in the redirection of career paths.

Students that participate in the online program are held to the same academic standards as students who enroll in the on-campus program.

Classes are expected to begin at ExecutiveMPA@Syracuse in July 2017 after receiving university and state approvals.

This will be the fifth school at Syracuse to partner with 2U to create online offerings. The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, the School of Information Studies, and the College of Engineering and Computer Science have already partnered with 2U, writes Dian Schaffhauser for Campus Technology.

The partnership will take advantage of 2U’s advanced learning platform and technology-enabled services, as well as the diverse, international atmosphere at the Maxwell School, which pushes students, faculty, scholars, and practitioners to participate in interdisciplinary learning.

2U is partnering with more colleges and universities across the country in order to provide the access to online degree programs. The company’s platform features a combination of cloud-based software and technology-enabled services which offer schools access to the comprehensive operating infrastructure necessary to attract, enroll, and offer support to prospective students around the world.

The company uses a process involving a blend of face-to-face classes, dynamic course content, and real-world learning experiences in an effort that the company says will help students reach their full academic potential:

“The Maxwell School has been preparing the next generation of leaders for a global community since the School’s founding in 1924. It’s only fitting that our tradition of innovation and leadership should lead now to an online EMPA to meet the needs of today’s professionals,” said David Van Slyke, associate dean and chair of the Department of Public Administration and International Affairs at the Maxwell School. “2U supports universities in delivering the highest quality online graduate degree programs that match the impact and outcomes of on-campus programs. Through this partnership, we will expand the reach of a Maxwell degree, to the same end as all Maxwell degrees: helping professionals committed to active citizenship and leadership make a difference and transform their communities.”